Wekiwa Marina Restaurant

May 26, 1985|By Jim Robison of the Sentinel Staff

In the twilight moments just before darkness settles over the untamed Wekiva River, wildlife feed on the western bank much as they did hundreds of years ago when the first Spanish explorers discovered the river Indians named for the spring that provides its pristine water.

Today's adventurers enjoy this scene from across the river as they dine on catfish and hush puppies at the Wekiwa Marina Restaurant.

Most evenings, racoons gather to eat the restaurant scraps left for them. Occasionally, jittery deer are attracted to a salt lick placed for them on the marshy river banks. Water fowl wade in the waters and otters have built a den in the marina's seawall. Over the years since the restaurant opened in 1964 patrons also have observed rare bobcats and black bears.

In the jade green waters below the stilted restaurant and along the marina dock and boat slips, catfish swim in and out of the pilings. The fish beds are protected by the marina staff.

The cypress, palms and other tropical foliage along the river and the surrounding wilderness marshlands and upland drylands are home for 22 species of rare or endangered plants and wildlife, including bald eagles and seldom- seem Florida panthers.

The river's natural beauty is one of the best preserved natural waterways remaining in Florida, and the marina and restaurant are located at the point on the river of an ancient trading post of the Creek Indians, said marina owner Cliff Freeman, 59, who has learned every bend and turn in the meandering river.

Freeman, who spent his childhood summers at the springs that fed the river, was one of the original ''squatters'' to build cabins on islands in the river during the late-1940s. He later abandoned his weekend retreat after joining other river lovers who spent their own money for legal fees to establish state ownership of the islands and stave off private ownership that might have resulted in development of the riverfront land.

Owning the marina and restaurant ''was a fluke,'' he said. ''I bought five acres along the river in 1964. I needed a place to park my boat.''

He moved a small building onto the property to store his fuel, motor oil and other supplies. Later he added another 16 acres adjoining the marina, dug canals for more boat slips and built the marina and restaurant as a place where people could come and enjoy the river.

''You don't have to wear a tie,'' Freeman said.

Charlotte and John Radesky manage the restaurant where aged beef, buttermilk-batter-fried chicken and delicate seafood are included on the menu, but where catfish is king.

Just a mile upriver is Wekiwa Springs State Park, named by the Creek Indians. Water bubbles up through limestone caverns to feed the river's meandering northeastern flow from its headwaters in the park 15 miles to the St. Johns River near DeBary.

The Wekiva and its tributaries, Rock Springs Run and the Little Wekiva River, are considered some of the area's most valuable natural resources -- a wilderness of solitude amid suburban sprawl.

The shady stillness along the pristine river evokes Florida's frontier days, and the marina offers an opportunity to see how much of Central Florida looked when the Timucuan Indians speared fish in the spring-fed creeks and stalked deer in the uplands.

By canoe, the pace is as leisurely as the river's gentle tug downstream as the river winds past hanging branches of palms, cypress, sweetgum and maple trees and the submerged eel grass that flows with the river current.

The Wekiva River offers a sense of discovery, a respite from urban sprawl. It represents what Florida once was and the best of what Florida remains.

From Orlando, take Interstate 4 east to the State Road 434 exit. Drive west to Wekiva Springs Road and turn right at Miami Springs Drive to the deadend.

The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday with a 10 p.m. closing on Friday and Saturday and a 9 p.m. closing on Sunday. Dinner meals range from $5.25 to $16.95 with lunch specials and a child's menu.

The marina is open from 8 a.m. to dusk with canoes renting for $3 for two hours or $7 a day. For $3 per person pontoon boats leave hourly for scenic river cruises.